Sick
by LN8866
Summary: Fiona gets sick, Michael makes changes in his life. What effects will those changes have?
1. Chapter 1

A/N ~ Soooo...some finale, right? This story is in a world where there's no Anson & none of season 6 sadness. Just playing around with the universe & I hope you all like it...it'll get fluffy...so don't worry.

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Fiona sat at Carlito's with Mike and Sam, having dinner. Both men were busy eating and chatting about their latest job, which involved trying to catch a guy who was swindling old women in his mother's neighborhood by romancing them out of money.

"So our next move is to get Fiona to approach Casanova and offer to join up with him so they can cover old ladies and men. You think you can handle old men gawking at you all day?" Sam asked.

Fiona didn't answer. She hadn't heard much of what was going on between the men and was actually trying to stay awake. Even her favorite chicken dish seemed very unappetizing.

Michael looked over to Fiona who was picking at her food. "Anything wrong?" he asked her.

Sam also realized that Fiona wasn't eating or even listening to them remarked, "Yeah, what gives? I don't think I've seen you take more than two bites of your chicken. Something bothering you? You don't have to try and romance old guys if you don't want to, we'll find another way to bust Casanova."

Fiona leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I'm not hungry. Feeling a little tired too. Maybe I will head back to the loft and get to sleep early. You boys stay and plan. I'll do whatever you ask. Right now, I just need some rest."

Michael watched as Fiona walked away. He asked Sam "Did she look a little pale to you today Sam? You were with her more than I was."

"She was kind of pale today. She also had a headache and coughed off and on. A little slow on the teasing too. I made a few comments that I was sure would either make her mad or give her an opening to pick on me. I thought maybe she just didn't sleep well last night."

When Fiona stopped and sneezed, Michael got up and threw some cash on the table. "I'm going with Fi I want to make sure she gets to bed."

Sam took a sip of his mojito and shouted after Michael "Take care Mikey and wash your hands after you have touched anything she touches when she's sick. I can't handle two of you sick at the same time."

The rest of the week Fiona stayed inside, recovering from her cold while Michael and Sam worked their job. She was congested and sluggish, getting little sleep at night from the cough that plagued her. Michael tried to be home as much as he could so he could make sure Fiona ate, drank and took her medicine.

After two weeks, Fiona's cough was not improving even though she swore it was. Michael was woken early one morning by Fiona sitting up in bed coughing and wheezing at the same time.

"Fi, relax. If you get upset, you will just cough worse."

When he went to rub her back, to help her relax until her coughing fit passed, he realized she was drenched in sweat.

"Are you hot?" Michael asked.

As Fiona coughed, hoping to clear what felt like congestion in her chest, she shook her head to tell Michael she wasn't hot. Once the coughing subsided, Michael found a thermometer and made Fiona open her mouth. While they waited for the thermometer to beep Michael noticed Fiona was shaking. He grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her. When the thermometer beeped, Michael read out loud "104.2"

"Michael, I am fine. I wish you would stop trying to baby me and just let me be. Look at Sam over there in the kitchen. He's not saying a word and leaving me alone."

He looked over in the kitchen but didn't see Sam. All he saw was darkness. She was hallucinating because of the fever. Michael had to get her help soon. He stood up and announced "Fi, we are going to the ER. Its four in the morning and Sam isn't in the kitchen. I think you are getting worse."

Taking her shoes from Michael and flinging them across the room, she tried to speak but began to cough again. Michael grabbed a pair of sandals that were next to her. He was going to slip her feet when she latched onto Michael and dug her nails into his shoulder as she coughed. She could see the worried look on his face and tried to calm him by saying. "Michael, i am fine. I just need to catch my breath." She said, in between coughs, wrapping her other arm across her ribs.

Michael slid fionas feet into her sandals, alarmed when she began to cough even harder. Once she was able to stop coughing, she stood up and said defeatedly "Let's go."

Fiona stood up and nearly toppled over. Michael caught her and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her down the metal stairs.

"Michael, I can walk down the stairs on my own. I do not need you to carry me!"

He ignored her. Once they reached the car, Michael leaned her up against the Charger so he could open the door. Grabbing her arm, he guided her into her seat and buckled her seatbelt. He kissed her on the head and got into the car.

As they drove, Fiona cranked the heat. "Michael, I still can't get warm and its getting harder to breathe."

Trying his best to keep Fiona from seeing how worried he was, he drove a little faster. "We will get you some medicine and you'll be ok. The cold is probably bronchitis now. You always get bronchitis once a year."

No sooner did Michael try to reassure Fiona that she would be ok, did Michael notice Fiona put her head back and close her eyes. Michael, seeing how pale she had become, called out her name. "Fiona! Wake up! We are almost at the hospital."

Michael reached his arm out and shook Fiona to try and rouse her. When she didn't respond and her head slumped forward, panic ran through his veins. He felt her skin which was cold and clammy. Pressing his foot down heavily on the accelerator, he began to weave in and out of traffic. He reached over and pulled her head back, noticing her lips were now a bluish gray.

Michael tried to remain calm by talking loudly to Fiona. He reached over and held her ice cold hand "Fiona, stay with me. We are almost at the hospital. Just a little longer. We'll get you a doctor to make you all better. Try and wake up Fi. I know you are tired, but we just have a little longer till we are there."

He pulled up to the doors of the ER and jumped out of the car. Michael came around to Fiona's side, scooped her up into his arms and carried her inside.

"We need a doctor!" Michael shouted as he entered the ER. Attendants rushed towards Michael and placed Fiona onto a gurney.

A nurse rushed up to Michael and asked "Sir, what's her name?"

As Michael followed the gurney with the nurses and doctor surrounding her, he managed to push out her name. "Fiona Glenanne. She had a cold but it lingered and yesterday she started coughing bad. She woke up wheezing and coughing. Her temperature is over 104.2F. In the car she said it was hard to breathe, she couldn't get warm and then she passed out."

One of the nurses took Michael's arm and pulled him out of the room. He tried to protest. "I have to stay! What if she needs me?"

"Sir, she is in capable hands. We will go to the waiting room so you can start her paperwork." The nurse said as she continued to pull Michael along with her. "Sir we have to let them work"

Michael obliged and went with the nurse. As she gathered the forms Michael needed to complete, Michael pulled out his cell phone and called Sam. Since it was nearly five in the morning now, Sam didn't answer. Michael left him a message.

"Hey Sam, its Michael. Sorry its so early, but Fi is in the hospital. We don't know what's wrong yet and I don't know how long I am going to be here. I can't make the meeting, so you will have to go alone. I'm sorry Sam. " Mike ended the call and grabbed the pen in his hands, trying his best to focus on the paperwork and praying for positive news on Fiona.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N...So sorry it took so long to update but the computer was freaking out. I finally calmed it down enough to get back here!

I hope you all enjoy this. If any of the medical stuff is wrong, I apologize...but don't think negatively of me! I have no medical background, although I did check several sites for info. Its just a story!

Lastly, thanks to everyone on Twitter and everyone here! I promise Fi will be ok. I killed her once & that was just miserable!

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Six in the morning Sam groaned and looked at his phone. He saw that Michael called and left a message. Quietly, not wanting to wake Elsa, he climbed out of bed and went into the living room to listen to his message. As he listened, Elsa came out into the living room and placed a hand on his shoulder. He ended listening to his message and put down the phone.

"Sam, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Fi's in the hospital. Mike's with her. He doesn't know what's wrong." Sam said. He continued to speak as he climbed into the shower. "Fi had a cold and she kept telling us she was getting better. She would have a coughing fit or two, but it would subside pretty quick."

When he got out of the shower and put on clean clothes, Sam picked up an envelope. "Babe, I am supposed to meet someone here in the lobby at eight this morning. Would you mind giving this to our client? I'm going to go sit with Mikey. He'll need someone there with him."

Elsa took the envelope and read the name out loud. "Sarah Jessup. Sam, what does she look like?"

"She's twenty five, blonde and huge..." Sam stopped when he saw Elsa cross her arms and begin to tap her foot.

"What is huge on her Sam? Care to share?"

Slowly, he tried to think of something to say that wouldn't get him in trouble. "She has huge...eyes! Big ones, bigger than the coffee saucers here at the hotel."

Elsa let out a laugh and moved closer to give Sam a kiss. "Give Mike my love and keep me updated on Fiona's condition. If Mike needs anything, tell him not to worry and to either tell you or have him call me to tell me what he needs and I'll make sure he gets it."

Sam pulled Elsa into a kiss and dipped her while his tongue roamed her mouth. As he finished kissing her, he stood her back up and walked to the door. "Thanks Elsa. I don't know what I'd do without you."

When Sam arrived at the hospital, he went to the admitting station and got the attention of the nurse behind the desk.

"I am here to see a patient, Fiona Glenanne. She was brought in early this morning." Sam said.

Without even looking up from her files, the nurse said "No one can see Miss Glenanne unless they are a relative. Her boyfriend is already back there with her, so she isn't alone. He's the only non-family member I will allow."

"Well, I'm her brother." Sam said, hoping to convince the nurse to let him past.

The nurse looked up from her files and said dryly, "She's Irish and you sound far from Irish."

The nurse would have questioned Sam more about his relation to Fiona, but Michael came out and greeted Sam. "I'm glad you are here. Fi is sleeping, so i thought I would get a drink."

"Tell the nurse I'm Fi's brother."

Michael smiled at the nurse and said "This is Fiona's step-brother. They are really close."

The nurse smiled back and said "Ok, but there better not be anymore 'family' going back there."

Giving the nurse a fake smile, Sam walked down the hall with Michael, who was very quiet. He could tell Michael was deep in thought. Sam waited until they got to the cafeteria before he asked. "So, what's wrong with Fi?"

Michael talked as he paid for his bottle of water. "She's got a bad case of pneumonia. They are going to admit her because she's dehydrated, her oxygen levels are too low, she has a fever and her lungs are inflamed which makes her hurt and not cough the right way."

"How are they going to treat her?"

"Antibiotics, she's wearing an oxygen mask and an IV so she doesn't get more dehydrated. There are methods they use to help clear her lungs." Michael said. Sam could hear the exhaustion in Michael's voice.

Not knowing what to say, Sam patted Michael on the back and gently pushed him out of the cafeteria. The men walked back to Fiona's bed, where she was still asleep. They stood at the foot of her bed watching her sleep. Sam noticed Michael's face frowning as they stood there. "Why isn't she in a room yet?" asked Sam.

Michael inhaled and said as he exhaled "They are waiting for a bed upstairs. She should be in a room soon they keep saying."

"Well, Sammy is going to take charge here. Fi is sleeping soundly, you need to go sleep because when she wakes up, you need to be rested to take care of her." Sam said, handing Michael the keys to his car. "I parked by the Charger. My car is better to sleep in because the seats recline. You go and take a nap. I will call you the minute she wakes up."

Michael tried to protest, but Sam cut him off. "There is no arguing. You go rest. Like I told you before I'm not taking care of the two of you."

The nurse who gave Sam a difficult time before, stood behind them. "I've been telling him the same thing all morning. He needs to rest."

Michael relented and took the keys from Sam and said "You call me the minute she starts moving. I'm only going to sleep for a few minutes."

"That's all I want. I swear I will call you when she's awake." Sam sad.

Michael took the keys and walked over to Fiona. He kissed the top of her head and whispered "I'll be back soon. Sam's here if you need anything." Turning to Sam, he said "She's so exhausted."

Michael walked away slowly from the room and out the door. Sam, finally alone with Fiona, looked at her laying in the bed. She was pale and tired looking. Her lips were dry and not their usual pink color. She looked thinner than usual. He sat down next to her and took her hand in his.

Fiona opened her eyes and asked "Where's Michael?"

"I made him go out to my car for a nap. He'll be back in a few. How do you feel?"

Adjusting the oxygen mask on her face, Fiona said "Like a truck hit me. Everything hurts and I'm cold."

Fiona's complaints made Sam worry. "Fi, where you hurting?"

"Wrists, ankles, knees...all my joints are sore."

Sam reached over and felt her face. Feeling how hot she was, Sam called for a nurse. She came in and took Fiona's temperature and found it had risen since she had arrived. Calling a doctor, she began to ask questions of Fiona.

"Miss Glenanne, are you hot or cold?"

Fiona shook a little. "Cold. The air conditioning makes it feel like a bloody ice box in here."

Sam noticed the doctor had arrived and was looking at her arms, legs and back. "Miss Glenanne, do you hurt anywhere?"

When Fiona didn't answer, Sam spoke up and said "She told me her joints hurt. Her wrists, elbows, knees hurt."

"Miss Glenanne, who is in the room with us?" asked the doctor.

Fi rolled her eyes and pointed when she spoke. "The nurse, you are Doctor Cooper, Sam and Michael's mother."

The doctor looked at Sam and asked "Where is her boyfriend?"

"I sent him out to the car to sleep. He was tired." Sam said.

The doctor stood near Sam and said "Get him back in here. I need to talk to him."

Sam called Michael. "Mikey, Fi is awake and ok, but the doctor wants to talk to you." Sam waited for a response but didn't receive one. He looked at his phone and realized Michael had ended the call without saying a word. "He's on his way."

Just as Michael walked into the emergency room, he saw Fiona sit straight up and have another coughing fit. Michael rushed over to her side and rubbed her back until her breathing calmed. "I am so tired" Fiona whispered to Michael. The doctor and Sam left the room so the couple could have a moment alone.

"I know. Let me talk to the doctor and we will see what we can do." Michael said, wrapping his arms around Fiona and giving her a kiss on the head.

After Michael got Fiona to lay back down in the bed and covered her with a blanket, he walked out into the hallway where the doctor was already talking to Sam.

"Can anything be done to help her rest? She's exhausted." Michael said as he approached the doctor.

"I know she's exhausted and we'll help her get some rest. Right now I need you to listen to me because we need to change how we are caring for her. Sometimes with pneumonia cases, the virus will enter the bloodstream. I think that is what happening with your girlfriend. Its called blood poisoning. She all the symptoms-a rash, fever, achy joints, delusions..."

Sam interrupted and turned to Michael "She named everyone in the room and said your mom was there too."

Michael's eyes widened. "At home, she said she saw Sam in the kitchen. That's when I figured I should have her looked at. She had the rash for a day but I thought it was from the juice I gave her. She's allergic to raspberries and I forgot." He covered his eyes with his hand. "So what do we do now?"

"The nurses are getting her a room in ICU. I have to do some blood work but i want to be more aggressive, combine medicines and push more fluids. Her breathing is bad and I want to test her oxygen levels again to see if there is any improvement. If there is no improvement or the levels are worse, I want to intubate her and put her on a ventilator. She might be under sedation for a few days if i do that, but lets see how the blood looks. I know this sounds scary, and it is, but she's young and was healthy before this happened. You got her here at the right time so she can get treated before it gets worse. It's going to be a long road, but she can handle it." The doctor said as he headed back to Fiona's room.

Sam thanked the doctor and put his hand on Michael's shoulder. "She's going to be ok."

"What do I tell her Sam?" Michael asked.

"Odds are with the fever and the exhaustion, she won't understand a lot." Sam explained. Seeing Michael frown and fight back tears, Sam placed both hands on Michael's shoulders and said in a firm voice "You go in there and tell her she will be staying in the hospital so she can get better and you'll be with her the whole way. Just make her rest until they move her."

Michael nodded. Before he went to rejoin Fiona he said softly "Call my mom and tell her we are at the hospital."

"You got it Brother."

Sam pulled out his phone and dialed Maddie's number. "Sam! I was just thinking about you. Have you heard from Michael or Fiona? Last I heard she was still in bed with a cold. I hope he didn't get it. He is such a pain when he is sick."

"Maddie...I'm in the hospital. Mike brought Fi in early this morning and now they are admitting her to ICU. Its bad, so you might want to come down here." Sam said ending the call. He moved closer to the room, but hung back far enough to give Michael and Fiona privacy. Sam found a chair, closed his eyes and rested for a moment. He knew he'd need all the rest he could get to help Michael get through this and he vowed to himself that they would all get through this ok.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Sorry for the delay, but I was sick and so was my son! So nothing got done! Hope you enjoy this...

Thanks to Arifa, Noelle & Amanda for my incessant revisions that I sent to them!

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Michael walked into the bay where Fiona rested in bed. "What did the doctor say?" she asked as she shifted in her bed, trying to get comfortable.

Trying to hide the fear and sadness that was growing inside of him, he smiled and said "You don't need to worry about what he said. You just need to lay in bed, rest and get better. That's what I need you to do."

Fiona reached out and took Michael's hand in hers. "Michael, you need to tell me what the doctor said to you and Sam. I have a right to know. I know you are scared, but you are making me scared when you tell me that I don't need to worry. I know I am sick, so just say what is wrong and we'll deal with it together." After trying to convince Michael to talk to her, Fiona had another coughing fit. This one was the most violent, making her fearful of breaking a rib. She finally regained her breath and laid back in the bed.

Seeing she was shaking as she laid in bed, Michael pulled the blanket up and began to rub her legs and arms. While trying to warm her up, he decided to tell her what the doctor discussed. "Fi, the doctor said that you have bacteria in your blood. That explains why you are achey, your fever is high, you have the chills and you are seeing things." He swallowed hard, hoping Fiona wouldn't notice. Continuing, he added "He's going to admit you to the ICU and give you more medicine to fight the blood infection and the pneumonia."

Michael would have continued, but his cell phone rang. "It's Raines. I called him to let him know we were in the hospital."

As he went to send the call to voicemail, Fiona stopped him and said "Go outside and take the call. I'll wait here with your mother."

Michael closed his eyes, trying to hide the tears that were in them as he knew she was hallucinating. "I'll be right back" he said in a soft voice.

A few seconds after Michael left, the doctor came into the room with a technician who was preparing to draw blood from Fiona again. "More blood? All I want to do is sleep but no one here is letting me." She complained.

"Well, I want to check your oxygen levels. Did your boyfriend talk to you?"

Fiona closed her eyes as she answered. "He did. I am going to ICU because I there is bacteria in my blood and I need to have more medicine."

The doctor waited until the technician had left. "Miss Glenanne, did he mention anything about what I'm looking at in your blood this time?"

Fiona closed her eyes, shook her head and remained quiet, indicating Michael didn't mention anything to her.

"Miss Glenanne, I need you to look at me because this part is important." Fiona opened her eyes and looked at the doctor. "I'm checking the oxygen levels in your blood. They were low when you came into the ER. If they are still low or even lower, I want to intubate you, which means I'll put a tube down your throat and put you on a ventilator so you can get more oxygen. It will help you breathe better. You'll be sedated but only for a few days. Once the levels are back where they should be, I will take you off the machine and we'll gradually wake you up from the sedation. You are tired from the infections and lack of oxygen in your body, so this will help."

Fiona took her oxygen mask off and said with fire in her voice. "You do what you have to do. If you need to intubate me, do it. Get me a paper to sign off on that procedure. Anything else, if I am sedated or not in my right mind, I want Michael to make a decision with the help of our family. I love Michael with all my heart but I know he's not strong enough to make decisions like this on his own."

The doctor nodded and said with a smile "A lot of men aren't." Getting up from his seat, he told Fiona before he left the room "I'll have a nurse come by right away so you can sign some forms."

Laying back down in her bed, Fiona looked off to the corner of the room. "Madeline, why do you sit there and not say anything? At least come over and sit closer to me. I miss Michael. When is he coming back? I hope he doesn't have to leave. I don't want to be in the hospital all alone. I absolutely hate it when he's away. I hate being second best to the CIA."

Michael felt his heart break even more than it already was as he stood outside of Fiona's ER room, hearing her talk to an invisible Maddie. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Raines. "We have to talk. Let me call you once Fiona is in her room and I have someone with her. You clear your schedule because you need to come to me when I figure out a time."

Sliding the phone into his pocket, he plastered a big smile into his face and walked into the room. "I'm back. Raines wanted me to leave here and meet with him, but I managed to put him off. Once you are in your room, I'll have Sam come sit with you for an hour or two. Did the doctor come to see you?"

Before Fiona could answer, they were interrupted by nurses who began to move Fiona's IV's and adjust the rails on her bed. "We have a room in the ICU all ready for you, so we are going to head up there. Doctor Cooper will meet us there and we'll get you settled."

Michael began to gather Fiona's belongings. The nurse who was to Fiona's right told him "Take the elevator that is near the cafeteria and head to the fifth floor. That elevator will take you to the waiting room. We'll come get you once she is in her room."

She could see Michael was worried and upset by all the action in the room. "Can I have a moment?" The nurses walked out the door, giving them a brief moment alone. "Michael, I know you are scared. You don't have to walk on eggshells and put on a fake smile for me. I want you to hold my hand, comfort me and remind me how much you care for me. I'll be fine. We've been in worse situations than this. I am looking forward to ICU. It'll be nice to get into a quiet room and not have to hear the craziness that is down here."

Michael let out a small laugh and took Fiona's hand in hers and gave it a kiss. "I'll do my best." He mumbled, hoping to hide the concern in his voice.

"You better. You have no choice. Get Sam and meet me upstairs. I will be fine by myself." Fiona said.

The nurses came back into the room and wheeled Fiona's bed out of the room. Michael tried to hold onto her hand, but he soon had to let her go. Once she was out of sight, he threw his head back and sighed. He texted Sam and told him to meet by the elevator and they would ride up together.

Once Fiona turned the corner, her doctor greeted her. "Fiona, we need to get you oxygen levels up. You said you would be willing to be intubated, do you still agree? You'll be sedated for a few days but this will help you immensely."

As they wheeled Fiona into the elevator, she said to the doctor "Let's do it. I'm just so damned tired of feeling sick that I will do anything. Do the procedure and then tell Michael. If you tell him first he might protest or get upset. If you do it and then tell him, he'll be upset and angry with you, but Sam will be with him and I'm sure the two of you can talk sense into him. Tell him I made this decision but I am letting him and the family decide anything else if I can't."

"Ok! Let's get you into your room and we'll start right away. The only thing you will feel is sleepy and then you'll be out for the count." Doctor Cooper said.

"A nice long nap sounds divine right now. Just make sure Michael is ok. Have Sam take care of him. Sam's a good brother." Fiona said as she shut her eyes, hoping to get some rest and listening to the soft pings of the elevator passing each floor.

When they arrived in Fiona's ICU room, the nurses adjusted her bed and took off her oxygen mask. She signed some papers and handed them back to Doctor Cooper and then leaned back. The anesthesiologist arrived and explained to Fiona that she will feel sleepy but not to worry. While the anesthesiologist injected the sedative into her IV line, she was told to count backwards from ten. She got as far as eight before the drugs took effect. The nurses and doctor hurried and intubated Fiona and turned on the ventilator. They waited a few minutes to make sure everything was ok. The nurse made notes on her chart and everyone left the room.

Doctor Cooper approached Michael and Sam in the lobby. From a distance, Sam could be heard telling Michael to stop pacing or else he'd wear a hole in the floor. Grasping the consent form Fiona signed, he approached the men. "Mr. Westen, I need you to sit down." Doctor Cooper said, pointing to the chair next to Sam. "Miss Glenanne is in her room. You can see her in a few minutes. Before I let you go in and see her, I need to explain a few things to you." Doctor Cooper handed Michael the consent form Fiona signed to be sedated and intubated.

Sam, looking over Michael's shoulder, realized what the form was. He placed a hand on Michael's shoulder and felt his muscles tense under his hand. As Michael looked at the forms, the doctor spoke again. "Her oxygen levels are very low and her body can't fight effectively. The ventilator will help her get more oxygen and air into her lungs. I honestly think it will only be for a few days. This is the only thing she opted to decide on her own. Everything else she is leaving up to you and your family. She thought you would have trouble with this so she took the first step. This seems serious, and it is, but the ventilator will help her get better."

Sam held his hand up and said "Thanks Doc."

"When can I see her? I want to see her." blurted out Michael.

"Give me a half an hour and then you can sit with her."

Sam watched Michael as the doctor walked away. Michael leaned back and covered his face with his hands. "What the hell was she thinking Sam? Why didn't she talk to me before she made this decision?" Michael asked.

"I wish I could tell you Brother. Maybe she was trying to spare you from having to make a hard decision. Maybe she wanted to feel like she had some kind of control over the situation. I don't know. Don't focus on the fact she did this without talking to you. Focus on how you are going to help her get better." Sam paused. He knew Michael was having a hard time with everything that was occurring and was close to breaking. He had to draw Michael back from the edge. "Mike, look at me."

Michael looked at Sam with such sadness, hurt and worry in his eyes that Sam wanted to cry for Michael. Taking a deep breath, Sam tried his best to reassure Michael. "Fi is going to be ok. She was healthy before she got the pneumonia and blood poisoning. The doctor is treating her aggressively and is approachable, which I like. Most importantly, she has the love of her life keeping her company. He'll probably have to be removed from her bedside forcefully so he will eat a blueberry yogurt and get some rest."

Michael smiled and said softly " Thanks Sam. I'm going to see if I can get in her room yet." Michael said as he stood up.

"I'll wait here for your mom, she should be here any minute."

Nodding, Michael walked off to find Fiona. From where Sam sat, he could see Michael on the other side of the ICU. He watched as Michael nervously paced the floor before being let into Fiona's room. He saw Michael talking to the nurse and then leaning over Fiona to give her a kiss on her head.

"Sam! I am glad I found you! I've been calling Michael but he hasn't answered." Maddie said as she sat down in the waiting area.

"Sorry but we've been up here and we can't use our phones. Walk with me and I'll show you where Fi's room is." Sam said helping Maddie up out of the chair. "When you see her, she'll be on a ventilator but its only for a short time."

Maddie, standing next to Sam by the nurses station, watched Michael inside the room. "How's Michael handling this?"

"He's barely keeping himself together. Fi decided on her own to be put on the ventilator without talking to Mikey. I think he sees it as her giving up, but medically it really is a good move to help her get better."

They both quietly stood in the doorway and watched Michael take Fiona's hand in his and say to her "I'm a little tired, so I am going to rest a bit. I am staying here, so don't worry about alone. I promise not to leave you alone anymore." He kissed her hand and leaned back in the chair next to her bed, He closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep, never letting go of her hand. Maddie and Sam walked out of the room so Michael and Fiona could rest.

"He didn't realize we were there Sam. It was like we were ghosts." Maddie said.

Sam put his arm around Maddie's shoulder. "I know. I don't know who i should worry more about, Michael or Fiona." Sam turned to Maddie and asked "Would you mind if I left you for maybe an hour or two? I need a rest."

"Go for it. I have a feeling this is going to be a very exhausting experience for everyone." Maddie said walking back to the waiting area and sitting down in a chair. "I'll be here in case my boy needs me."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Thanks for all the reviews! I love you all! Thanks so much for my twitter gals...love you all so much! As always, thanks for Noelle, Amanda and Arifa for reading as I write.

* * *

About three in the morning, Michael woke up in the darkened hospital room. For a brief moment, he thought he was back in the loft, sleeping in his favorite green chair and Fiona was in the bed next to him. He smiled to himself, feeling happy to be home but hearing the beep of the monitors, he finally realized they were still in the hospital. Michael felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He sat on the edge of her bed, careful not to disconnect any of her monitors, and placed his hand on top of her head.

Gently stroking her forehead with his thumb, he said to her "I know you are tired, but you have to keep fighting. You have to get better because I need you by my side. I couldn't have done any of the things I've done without you. I promise things will change when you wake up. I need to get something to drink. I'll be back. I promise." Michael stood up and kissed Fiona's forehead and walked out of the room, heading towards the cafeteria.

As he stared at the vending machine in the cafeteria, Michael heard his mother's voice. "Michael, I thought you would still be asleep! How's Fiona?"

Michael frowned and tried to speak but was afraid if he uttered even a single word, he would shatter. Maddie gave Michael a hug and said softly "She'll be ok."

He sat down at the nearest table. Finding his voice, Michael said "Everyone keeps telling me that she'll be ok, but the one person who I need to tell me everything will fine is laying in a hospital bed under sedation on a ventilator."

Maddie reached across the table and took Michael's hand in hers. "We keep saying this because its true."

Hiding his face in his hands he added in a sharp tone "I understand why she agreed without talking to me to be put on the ventilator but she doesn't know what its like for me to see her with the tubes and wires attached to her. I wish I could take her place because she could of handled this better."

"It's hard Michael. There is no doubt about that. You can't change what's going on, so you have to adapt and you have to get used to seeing Fiona with the tubes and wires. You are on the sidelines until she is awake again. I know you aren't good at sitting and waiting, but this time you have no choice. What you need to do is take care of yourself. You are going to go home and sleep for a few hours in a bed. Then you will get up and eat something, not just yogurt. I'm going to call Sam and have him come get you. I don't care where you go to sleep and eat, just do it."

Michael sniffled and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I promised her I wouldn't leave her to be alone."

Maddie stood up and pushed in her chair. "She would rather you be your regular self and not exhausted like you are. You can't tell me that you aren't tired."

Nodding in agreement, Michael said "I am so tired."

"Then its settled. I'm going outside to call Sam to come get you. Then I will go upstairs and sit with Fiona. She'll be ok and so will you." Maddie said.

Michael smiled weakly. "Thanks Mom."

"Take a minute and get yourself together. Then come upstairs." Maddie said as she walked away heading towards an area she could call Sam and tell him to come for Michael so he can go home and sleep in a proper bed and eat an actual meal.

Arriving back at Fiona's room, Maddie found Doctor Cooper looking over Fiona's chart. She extended her hand and said "Hello. I'm Michael's mother Madeline. How's our girl doing?"

Doctor Cooper escorted Maddie out of Fiona's room so they could speak. They stood near the nurses station as he looked over his notes and spoke. "She's making progress. Her oxygen levels are higher but still not where I want them before I take her off the ventilator. She still has a fever but its down a bit, so that makes me happy. We are definitely on the right track." Doctor Cooper explained. "I saw your son in the hallway earlier, but I don't think he saw me. I really think he needs to go home. He looks exhausted and he's dragging. I don't want to have to enforce visitation restrictions, but sometimes I have to just so the family gets a rest. If he doesn't he's going to crash into a wall and if she needs him, he won't be there. I don't want to see that. Get him out of here for a few hours."

Maddie thanked the doctor and watched as Michael entered Fiona's room. Doctor Cooper followed him inside and began explaining how Fiona was doing.

As Maddie sat in the waiting area for families, she saw Sam approach. "I got here as fast as I could. How's Fi doing? Any improvement?" he asked.

"The doctor said she is doing better. She has a little bit more color in her cheeks. I am more worried about Michael. He's tired Sam. You have to make him sleep. He's been running on fumes since she got sick and he's at the bottom of the tank now. The doctor agrees that Michael needs to rest."

Sam rubbed his scruffy face. "Don't worry. I will get him to rest but if he won't, I have something that will knock him out for a few hours." Sam paused and looked at Michael talking to the doctor. "He knows she is going to get better, right?"

Maddie shook her head. "Right now I don't know what he knows and doesn't know."

Once the doctor left the room, Sam walked towards Fiona's room. He overheard Michael talking to Fiona. He didn't want to interrupt so he moved far enough away from the door that they could have privacy..

"I think this room is bigger than your flat in Ireland. Remember how every time I rounded the corner by the bed, I always hit my shin. Whenever I would complain, you used to tell me that I had been in the flat long enough that I should know where the bed frame was and I should keep my legs out of the way. I'm glad we don't have an iron bed like we did there. I was so black and blue by the time..." Michael stopped mid sentence. He took hold of her hand and kissed the top. Holding onto her hand he continued to speak, trying to sound like he was ok. "I miss those days. I miss the days where we had nothing to do and we would spend the day in bed or the hours you spent in my arms while we sat on the couch. I miss walking around the town with you on my arm. I thought I was the luckiest guy in the world because I had you on my arm. You meant everything to me. You still mean everything to me."

Michael took his hand and wiped away the tears that were in his eyes. "I thought getting back in the CIA would have ended my need to figure out who burned me, but the more missions I go on and files I see raise more questions for me. Sitting here with you, I never realized how tired I am. I'm so damn tired. I hate that it you getting so sick to make me realize how I feel. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you for sticking with me all this time. I should have stopped chasing ghosts years ago and focused on us more."

After sitting quietly for a moment Michael. "I'm done Fiona. I'm done with the CIA and everything else we've been doing. I can't go on like this."

Sam stuck his head in the doorway and cleared his throat. "Mikey, you have to go home and rest for a few hours. I'll be waiting outside the ICU doors for you when you are done."

Michael nodded his head. "Doctor Cooper said I have to play by his rules or else I can't sit with you. He wants me to go home for a few hours to sleep and eat. I'll be back later tonight, but my mom will sit with you." He stood up and kissed her forehead, being careful not to disconnect her wire and tubes. He whispered into her ear "I promise things will change Fi. Just get better and you'll see for yourself." Giving another kiss to her, he quickly stood up and walked out of the room. Madeline tried to stop him by calling out his name, but he held up his hand and avoided looking at her.

Once Sam saw Michael walk out of ICU, he walked up to Michael and said "I'm glad you came out on your own. I was about ready to have your mom drag you out so we could get going. I'll take you anywhere you want to go, you just name the place and we'll go as long as you rest."

"Take me to Raines' office. I need to talk to him and then I promise I will sleep for a few hours."

Sam's jaw dropped. "Mikey, this isn't the time to be talking to Raines' face to face. You go home, you sleep and you come back. Raines will have to wait."

Raising his voice to Sam, Michael yelled "TAKE ME TO RAINES' OFFICE. I NEED TO DO ONE THING AND THEN I WILL BE DONE. JUST TAKE ME AND DO NOT QUESTION ME ON MY INTENTIONS SAM!"

"When you want me to take you to see your boss, while your girlfriend is in ICU, I am damn well going to question your intentions. What the hell is wrong with you Mike?" Sam retorted in a deep growling voice, trying hard to not yell at Michael inside of the hospital.

Standing close to Sam, Michael lowered his voice and said firmly "I am quitting Sam. I've had enough of the CIA. I've had enough of trying to figure out my burn notice. It took Fiona getting sick to see that I want a different life."

Sam saw the fierceness in Michael's eyes and knew he was serious. He softened his tone and patted Michael on the back. "Ok Brother. We'll go see Raines and then we'll go back to the loft so you can sleep. Are you sure this is what you want Mikey?"

Nodding, Michael answered "Yes. I feel like everything is spiraling out of control. If I stay in the CIA and I keep looking into the files that I have, I'm afraid that we'll end up someplace dangerously dark. Someplace we can't come back from. I want to stop now and make a life with Fiona. She's all I want Sam."

"About time you figured that out." Sam muttered under his breath.

The men walked in silence to Sam's car. As soon as Sam started driving on the highway, Michael fell asleep in the passenger seat. He pulled the car over into a supermarket parking lot and called Maddie. "Mikey's out. As soon as I pulled out onto the highway, he went right to sleep."

"Is he ok? He walked out Fiona's room in such a panic and he wouldn't talk or even look at me." Maddie said quickly.

Sam sighed and said "He came out and told me he wants to quit the CIA. We were heading to Raines' office so he could sit down for a chat. He's burned out and honestly, I'm glad he is. I hate to cut this short, but I don't want to wake him up. Call if anything happens with Fiona."

Sam ended the call and sat in the car with Michael sleeping for another ten minutes before he headed towards Raines' office. When he pulled into a parking spot, he nudged Michael saying "Mikey, rise and shine. We are at Raines' office. You are sure you want to do this?"

"Never been more sure of anything in my life. Let's go."

Michael and Sam walked into the building and found Raines' office. His secretary wasn't there, so Michael knocked on his door while Sam took a seat across from where the secretary would sit.

"Come on in" Raines yelled from inside.

Opening the door, Michael walked in and sat down. Raines stared at Michael and said "Jesus Westen, you look terrible. I'm glad you are here though. I have a situation that I need you to address. You and Max..."

Michael cut off Raines mid-sentence. "I'm not going to help. I can't. Fiona is too sick and I am exhausted. It's over."

Raines studied Michael's face. He spoke slower and in an even tone. "Maybe you didn't understand me. You work for the CIA and we need you to fly out with Max in the morning. I know Fiona is sick, but you have a job to do."

"I don't have a job to do anymore. I'm done."

"Michael, if you don't take this assignment its going to hurt your career. You are one of my most valuable agents and I'd hate to see your record tarnished after you just got back into the CIA." Raines tried to reason with Michael.

Michael stood up and slammed his palms down on Raines' desk. "I quit. If you don't let me quit, then fire me. I don't even care if you burn me again. As of right now, this very minute, I no longer work for the CIA."

He could see Michael was clearly coming unhinged. "Sit down and relax for a moment. If you quit, then you won't have any health insurance and with Fiona in ICU, you are going to need the coverage. There are ways around this situation if you are serious about leaving. Go home, get some rest and we'll sort this out in a few days. I'm going to put you down for using vacation time and when everything is ready for you to leave us, I will find you and have you sign all your exit papers. After everything you did to get back in, the least I could do is help you find an easy out. It might be early retirement initiated by you or due to budget cuts, you might be the one I force into retirement. We'll figure this out."

"Thank you." Michael said heading towards the door.

Michael and Sam left Raines' office. Once they Raines saw they were outside the building, he picked up his phone and dialed someone. "Tom, Westen is off limits. You need to call off your dogs because he's not in a good frame of mind and I think you might end up dead if you both worked together again. Let's go back to the files and find another agent to work with us on the plan."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N~It's turning out to be a bit different than what I had originally intended...but I like this direction more. It's still pre-6, but its going to be a bit more actiony. Yeah...I know that's not a real word, but I like it! Nate is alive & we'll see who else might make an appearance...

Thanks to Arifa for steering me in a action direction for a change of pace.

* * *

Nate arrived in the ICU around ten o'clock at night. He stopped at the nurse's station and said "My brother is here with his girlfriend, her name is Fiona. I was wondering if you could direct me to her room."

The nurse stood up and walked Nate over to the door of Fiona's room. Inside, she pointed to Michael who was hunched over, one arm draped protectively over her legs and the other was his pillow. The brunette nurse told Nate "She's only allowed one visitor at a time. Usually he is in there with her. The night nurses made a deal with him that if he was quiet and even slept he could stay here as long as he wanted. If he gets agitated or nasty with us, he's either going to sit in the waiting room until morning or we will send him home."

Smiling at the nurse, he asked "Has he been a good boy?"

"He has been on good behavior. It might do him some good to go home tonight and sleep in a bed and have breakfast before he comes back. It would give us a chance to freshen her up and have the doctor come in to check her." the nurse explained.

Nate asked "How is she? How much longer until she wakes up?" He didn't expect an answer, but was surprised when the nurse told him that Fiona's oxygen levels were almost to where the doctor wanted them and her infection was getting better a little bit each day. Nate thanked the nurse and walked into the room.

Gently nudging Mike, Nate called out "Mike, we are going to go home." When Michael didn't stir, Nate shook Michael.

Michael sat straight up and rubbed his eyes. "Nate, what are you doing here?" After a moment he realized why he was there and said "Mom called you, didn't she?"

Nate nodded. "She said Fiona was super sick and I should come and check on you. She said you were exhausted."

"I'm fine." Michael replied snappily.

Nate sat on a chair on the opposite side of the room, just under the television. "Well, you look like crap. Mom and the nurses say I should make you leave for a bit, so you can get some real rest."

Michael looked over at Fiona and shook his head "What part of 'I'm fine' don't you understand?."

"I understand what you are telling me, but you are. You have bags under your eyes, your hair is a wreck and you've got stubble. I've never seen you look so bad before. Either go back to the loft with me or I'm calling Sam and Jesse to come get you. They won't let you argue like I am."

Michael sighed and leaned back in his chair. He knew that Nate was right, he was exhausted and he knew a good night's sleep would benefit him. "Give me a minute to tell her I'm going home for the night."

Nate stood outside as Michael talked to Fiona. He watched Michael lean over and give her a kiss on the head, lingering over her sleeping form. Nate was positive Michael was thinking about how to crawl into bed with Fiona without detaching her wires and tubes. Michael then emerged from the room and walked past Nate, trying to hide his red eyes. Nate drove back to the loft. Michael thanked Nate for coming, but when Nate didn't leave, Michael asked "Do you want to stay or is Ruth expecting you?"

Looking sullen, Nate said "I wouldn't mind staying. Mike, Ruth moved back to Nevada with Charlie. i tried so hard to make her happy and be a good dad, well better than our dad, but I failed. Ruth got tired of me letting her and Charlie down, so she left. I'm back in Miami and I'm here to help you bro."

As they entered the loft, Michael said "You are a good dad to Charlie. You didn't fail at that." Sitting down on his bed, he said "Fi bought me a paper shredder. In the morning, will you help me shred files?"

Nate nodded. "Lets get some sleep and we'll do that in the morning." Nate watched as Michael moved up to the top of the bed. Within a few minutes, he was relieved hear Michael's soft snoring.

The next morning, Michael and Nate shredded files. When Michael arrived at the hospital Doctor Cooper told him that Fiona was doing well enough to be removed from the ventilator, but first he wanted to decrease the sedatives he had prescribed. It would take a few days but it was a step in the right direction. Hearing this did Michael a world of good. He sat by her bed every day telling her she is getting better and she will be awake soon. He would read to her from a book of Irish poems that she carried with her no matter where she lived.

One day when Fiona was responding to Michael's voice, but still hadn't opened her eyes, he kissed her hand and said "Now I know what you went through when I was in the hospital after I got shot. I don't know how you did it Fiona. Its been so hard to stay strong. You are so much stronger than I ever could be." Swallowing a lump in his throat, he changed topics and did his best to sound happy. "They are going to take the tube out in a day or two and then I get you back. We'll go home and I promise to take care of you better. I never want to be without you again. Being without you makes me feel like I am crazy." Michael held onto Fiona's hand and silently shed a few tears. He smiled when he felt her thumb slightly move on his hand. Hearing sounds come from Fiona, he looked over and saw her eyes were open. She had a panicked look in her eyes, so Michael told her to not talk because she had a tube in her throat to help her breathe. He pressed the call button and two nurses rushed into the room. Several doctors came in along with Doctor Copper.

Doctor Cooper said in a loud voice. "Miss Glenanne, you might not remember but there is a tube down your throat to help you get better. Your boyfriend is here and he's going to hold your hand while I pull the tube out. I need you to give me a big cough."

After he said that, Fiona's eyes latched onto Michael's. He saw in her eyes a mix of exhaustion, fear and confusion. She saw how exhausted he was but he looked relieved. Giving a big cough the doctor pulled the tube out, causing Fiona to gag. The nurse wiped down Fiona's face, neck and hands with a cool cloth, while Doctor Cooper talked to Michael in the doorway. He told Michael that he was keeping her in the hospital a little bit longer and some other information regarding her care. Seeing they were both exhausted, he left the couple alone so they could have a few peaceful moments together.

Michael sat at the foot of her bed. "Michael" She said, wincing in pain. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was, but her throat was sore and she could barely keep her eyes open.

"Don't talk. You've had your tube taken out, so you are going to have a sore throat." As he gave her some ice chips and then said in a soft broken voice "Welcome back. I missed you." He laid down across her legs as she reached down, wrapping himself around her. She closed her eyes, and in hopes of comforting an exhausted Michael, she reached down and played with his hair. Realizing her had fallen asleep, she allowed herself to drift back off to sleep as well.

A few minutes later, the nurse saw Michael and Fiona together. She pointed it out to Doctor Cooper who said "Let them be. I think that they will both rest better with the other one there. Send him home in the morning so we can give her a more thorough evaluation and he can get some rest." The nurse closed the door, giving them privacy so they could both get the comfort and sleep they both needed.

Sometime during the night, Fiona opened her eyes and struggled to focus. She called out hoarsely "M...Mich...ael"

Hearing her voice Michael sat up immediately. "Are you ok? Do you need a nurse?" Seeing Fiona shake her head, he moved to the side of the bed. He kissed her forehead and asked "Why are you up? You need to rest." He placed his hand on her cheek and smiled as she leaned into his palm.

She whispered slowly, as her throat was still rough "I'm sorry."

Michael frowned and comforted Fiona. "Everything is fine. We'll get you better and we'll get you home. Go back to sleep."

Fiona nodded and whispered "You...home...sleep."

Shaking his head, Michael responded "I'm fine. I've slept here plenty."

Fiona was tired of trying to talk. She motioned that she wanted Michael's phone. He pulled it out and handed it to her. She wrote her message and handed it back to Michael. "_You are exhausted. Go rest. I'm fine. Come back tomorrow morning. I love you."_

"Fiona..." he said. He heard her whisper a long drawn out "Please" Seeing how worried she looked, he decided he should leave. He leaned over and whispered into her ear "I love you too. I'll be back later." He gave her a kiss on the head and walked out the door. Relieved to find the Charger where he had left it, he got into the car and drove back to the loft.

The next few days saw enough improvement in Fiona's condition that she was sent to the step-down unit. Her days were busy with treatments designed to help her breathing and clear her lungs. Each day Michael was with her. Some days he had Sam, Jesse or Nate with him. Most days Maddie accompanied him, keeping a watchful eye on them both.

During a quiet moment when no doctors or nurses were checking on her, she watched Michael sitting next to her, sneaking in a nap when he thought she was asleep. He looked exhausted, even after he had gone home for a few hours at night to rest. Fiona wondered when he last sleep a full eight hours. She sat up in bed and brushed her hair behind her ears. "Michael, I need to talk to you."

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he saw her serious look, and asked "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to apologize for not discussing with you the intubation. I can imagine how horrible that was for you."

Michael sat on the bed facing her. He swallowed hard, trying to overcome his emotions. "This was the hardest and worst thing to go through. I never realized how much I needed you until I almost lost you."

"I know how hard it was for me to see you bleeding to death, feeling helpless when you had surgeries and when you were comatose." Fiona explained, wanting to let Michael know she understood how helpless he felt. "Michael, you weren't going to lose me.".

Fiona's heart broke as she watched Michael's blue eyes fill with tears. "If we didn't do this, then I would have gotten sicker."

Michael nodded. "I know and I am glad you made the decision. Sometimes I need you to do that for me." After taking a deep breath, he looked at her and said "I made a decision too."

"What did you decide?" Fiona was curious and even a bit worried.

"I unofficially retired from the CIA. I wanted to quit but Raines fixed it so I could leave with a pension and healthcare.".

Fiona panicked. "How on earth are we going to pay for the bill here? This bill will be hundreds of thousands."

"Barry set up offshore accounts for me. Whatever money I made from jobs, Barry invested for me. Once I was unburned, we put all of that money into other accounts. We have plenty of money to pay the bills and to still live comfortably."

Fiona was shocked. "What does 'unofficially retired' mean?".

"Raines needed to cut expenses. Since I was the newest agent under him, I was an unfortunate victim of budget cuts." Michael explained.

Fiona smiled and wrapped her arms around Michael. "You have made me so happy."

"Me too, Fi. Me too". He said, holding her close and burying his face in the crook of her neck.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N~Sooooooo...hope you like & thanks for reading! Much love to you all!

* * *

Fiona finally was discharged from the hospital, complete with medicines and breathing exercises she had to work on while home. Before he started the car, Michael lectured Fiona. "When we get home, you are doing nothing but resting. I don't want to hear any complaints. I will get you books, movies, games or anything else you want as long as you rest."

Reaching over and putting her hand on Michael's cheek, Fiona said "Michael, you can relax. I'm better and I won't give you any problems. I promise to be a good little patient for Doctor Westen." Giving Michael a devilish grin, Michael smiled, kissed the palm of her hand and started the car. On the car ride home, Michael watched Fiona resting in the passenger seat. Her face was looking out the window as she enjoyed the sunlight that warmed her face. Reaching over, Michael took hold of her hand and held it as they drove, relieved that she was finally coming back home with him.

Arriving back at the loft, Michael helped Fiona out of the car. "Michael, I am completely capable of getting out of the car on my own." He held his hands up in surrender and closed the door behind her. She walked to the stairs but stopped at the base, almost nervous to climb them in fear of having trouble breathing or coughing.

"Take them slow and if you need to stop, we can stop." Michael whispered into her ear, giving her a soft kiss on the neck.

Slowly she started up the stairs. She stopped midway, breathing a little heavily. "I'm sorry Michael. I get winded so easily." Fiona said, with a hint of frustration in her voice. As soon as she finished speaking, she had a coughing fit. The coughing wasn't as bad as before but it still caused her anxiety when she couldn't catch her breath. Finally she finished coughing and sat on the step.

Sitting down next to her, Michael wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head. He whispered into her ear, "I don't expect you to be completely healed yet. You were very sick, It's going to take time to get better." He continued to hold her close to him, happy and content that his true love was back home. He stood up and pulled Fiona to her feet. "Let me carry you the rest of the way."

"Michael, I am not..." before she could finish her sentence, Fiona realized Michael scooped her up in his arms and was slowly making the climb to the front door. He set her down and opened the door.

As Fiona walked into the loft, he said "You can either hang out on the bed or sit in the green chair." He walked into the kitchen threw her a bottle of water.

She caught it and complained "Do you know how tired I am of drinking water. I feel like a fish."

Michael was going to lecture Fiona about keeping hydrated, but his cell phone rang. He didn't recognized the phone number and rolled his eyes. He answered gruffly "Why are you calling me?"

"_Michael, its Raines. I need to see you immediately. I need your help." _

Michael scrunched his face up into a scowl and said "Do you realize that I just got Fiona back home? We haven't been home more than a half hour and you are calling me. I'm retired. I appreciate all you did to get me out, but I am out. I'm done."

Ignoring Michael's previous statement, Raines continued. "_I need your help with one last mission. You were my best agent and only my best agent will do on this job. You have to help me Michael. You owe me." _Raines said, begging Michael to work with him_. _

He sat on the bed, next to Fiona and took hold of her hand. He spoke firmly to his former handler. "I don't owe you anything. If I take this job, odds are it's going to be like when I was burned and go on for a while. I can't do this job. Find someone else because I signed papers while Fiona was in the hospital that said I wasn't an employee any longer. I'm done Raines." Michael hung up the phone.

Seeing how tense Michael was, she knelt on the bed behind him and began to rub his shoulders. "Why did he want you back?" she asked.

Michael shook his head and replied "I don't know. Something about he needs my help. If I take this one mission, I know I'll pick away at it and discover a whole new level. It won't end, Fi. If it did end, it would be ugly and people would be hurt."

Sliding back on the bed, Michael pulled Fiona into his lap. He looked into her eyes and said softly "I just want to take care of you. Seeing you so sick in the hospital made me realize I needed to change. I'm afraid that if I stayed in the CIA, that I would lose you. I can't lose you."

Fiona was taken back the look of sadness in his eyes. She kissed his forehead and said "You are going to be stuck with me for a very, very long time." Resting her forehead against his, she said I'm glad you are here with me Michael."

Michael sighed and gave Fiona a kiss. She wanted it to get more passionate but instead Michael stopped, reminding her she needs to rest a bit more and she should take a nap as she was yawning a lot while he talked to Raines. Giving Michael a pout, she laid down on the pillows, Michael following her. She rolled on her side, her back to Michael. He slipped his arms around her and held her tight to him. "I'm glad you are home Fi." he whispered as she drifted off to sleep.

Once she was asleep, Michael got up and went out onto the balcony. Keeping a watchful eye on Fiona as she slept, he called Sam. He didn't answer, so Michael left a message. "Sam, call me back when you get this or come by the loft." He watched Fiona from the balcony for a bit, before settling in the green chair and succumbing to sleep himself.

About two hours later, Michael was awoken by Sam shaking his shoulder. He jumped up suddenly, ready to strike but relaxed once he realized it was Sam.

"Sam, you surprised me. I must have fallen asleep..." Michael said, his voice trailing off. He placed a hand on Fiona's face to check her temperature.

"Sorry I didn't come by sooner but I figured you guys needed time to get settled and rest. What was your message about?" Sam asked.

Once Michael was satisfied Fiona was ok, he ushered Sam onto the balcony. "Raines called me and said he needed my help on one last mission.

Immediately Sam's eyes grew wide and his jaw got tense. "Fiona is still sick. She needs you mike. You better get your head on straight or else I personally will take Fiona and hide her away until she's well enough to find you and kick your ass for going back to the CIA."

"Settle down Sam. I told Raines to leave me alone. What I need to know is why he is calling me when he helped me get out of the CIA."

Sam rubbed his scruffy cheek. "I don't know. I do know that you need to let this be Mikey. I know you. You start to peek into certain areas and before you know it, we are all involved in something deep dark and ugly."

Michael stated his case again "Sam, I need to know why he is calling."

Having heard enough, Sam raised his voice. "Let it go Mike. Fiona is your only concern now."

Michael raised his voice to match Sam's. "What if there is an enemy coming for me and he's trying to warn me? I need to know so I can keep Fi safe. She can't breathe easily, she's still coughing and she's exhausted. She can't fight off an attacker if I'm not here Sam."

Sam took a look at Michael and realized how tired Michael looked. He had been sleeping when they made him but Sam finally realized that he probably only had been sleeping two or three hours at a time. Thinking it was time for a new approach, Sam softened his tone. "I will put feelers out and see if any of my friends can find out what Raines wanted." He paused for a moment and relaxed when he saw Michael's face soften when he offered to find out information. "When was the last time you slept decently?"

"I'm fine. I sleep a few hours at a time. I get up when Fiona needs me." Michael said.

"Mike, you are exhausted. You need to sleep for more than two or three hours at a time. Lay down with Fi, spend the day sleeping. Tell me what time she needs to take medicines and what to do if she has a coughing fit or can't breathe. Let me help you guys."

Michael was going to protest but Sam wouldn't let him speak. "I know how you are feeling right now. I went through this when my mom was dying. I slept a few hours here, a few hours there but I never rested fully. Eventually I got to a point where I couldn't even keep my head up from exhaustion and I was no use to her. So either you lay down or I go find Sugar and get something to knock you out for more than a few hours."

Knowing Sam would actually resort to sedating him, Michael reluctantly walked into the loft and laid out Fiona's medicines for Sam, telling what time she needed to take them and what to do if she had a coughing fit. When he was done, he walked over to the bed and climbed in, pulling Fiona close. "Thanks Sam." Michael said.

"Anything for you brother. Just get some sleep and don't worry. I have your back." Sam said. Within a few minutes, Sam was relieved to hear Michael snoring.

About two hours later, Sam was outside the loft, sitting on the stairs. He heard the door open. Without turning around he said "Get back in that bed or else I will put you in there myself."

"Sam, is that how you greet me? How long have you been sitting out here" Fiona asked.

Looking at his watch, he said shrugging his shoulders "Not long. I've been here about almost three hours."

Fiona seemed surprised. "Three hours? Do you want me to wake Michael up?"

"No, he needs to sleep. He called me once you fell asleep and I came over. He started ranting about Raines calling him." Sam moved over when Fiona sat down next to him. "I told him I'd have my contacts nose around to see what Raines wants. He's worried that sometime will hurt you while you are still getting better."

Taking a drink of water from the bottle she had with her, Fiona told Sam "He's going to be paranoid and overprotective of me until I am back to myself again." Fiona sighed and said "I know he mustn't have been easy to deal with when I was in the hospital, so I want to thank you for taking care of him."

Sam smiled at Fiona. He tried his best to keep the mood light by saying "I see you still don't feel good. Healthy Fiona wouldn't be so sweet to me."

Fiona laughed. Turning her head, she looked behind her at the door. She thought out loud "This isn't over, is it Sam? He's done with the CIA but they aren't done with him."

Not wanting to lie to her, Sam immediately said "This is definitely not over. If Raines wants him back after he helped get Michael out, it has to be pretty serious. I don't want you to worry though. I told Mikey in no uncertain terms that if he joins the CIA or even looks into what Raines wants, I won't help him and I'd hide you away from him. That seemed to bring him back down to Earth." Sam knew Fiona was still worried. He tried his best to ease her mind. "Your job is to get better. Leave the worrying to me and Jesse."

Standing up, Fiona said "Thanks. I'm feeling hungry. Would like to have leftover Chinese food with me? Michael picked it up on our way home."

"I'll join you if I can have Mike's fortune cookie, he never eats them." Sam said, following Fiona into the loft. He made her sit down as he reheated the left overs and tried to be quiet enough to not wake Michael. They ate in silence, both watching Michael sleep and both wondering about the motives behind the CIA calling on Michael when he made it clear he was done with them.

Back in Raines' office, he stared at the phone, not noticing that someone had entered. He was deep in thought and jumped when he heard a familiar voice.

"You know, you have to pick up the receiver and push those buttons to make call. Unless you have managed to call people using your mind, which means we have a whole new set of issues." Tom Card said

Ignoring the snarky remark made by his co-worker, Raines said "Westen won't even hear what I have to say. His mind is set on not coming back. I don't know how else to bring him back into the fold."

"I told you this would happen. You let Westen go and now he won't even talk to us. What part of 'we need Westen to fight the bad guy' didn't you understand?" Card shifted in his seat. "I will get Larry Sizemore to pay a visit to him. He understands Michael and can hopefully convince him to work with us. Maybe I'll even get him to bring Fullerton with him."

Raines scoffed at Card's idea. "What the hell is Fullerton going to do? He's only seen Westen on paper. Fullerton hasn't seen or even talked to Michael. He's never seen Westen when he's angry. He wouldn't know how to handle him.."

Card laughed. "I've given this some thought, figuring Westen wouldn't come back easily. Fullerton does know Michael's past and if he plays it right, he can play upon Glenanne's sympathy of having a dead wife named Claire, the same name as her sister."

"You think Glenanne can convince Westen to go back to work, based on that?" Raines questioned.

Card stood up and said "Westen is the only chance we have before that team comes for us. I'll be damned if I get killed over something we let get out of hand."

Raines watched Card walk out of the office. Saying a quick prayer for strength, he dialed a number on his phone. "Its me. We still aren't closer to finding a replacement for Westen. Let me and Card handle this for a while and we will get back to you." The person on the other line was yelling at him. Before hanging up, he said Ii understand completely that if we fail to find someone you will kill us but you need to realize this will take time! You screwed up just as much as we did so cut us some slack." Hanging up the phone, Raines hoped Larry would have better luck than he did.


End file.
